Juliet Loewen
WRITING ASSIGNMENT - Rhetorical Analysis
“Is Science Dangerous?” by Professor Lewis Wolpert
I have read the article “Is Science Dangerous?” by Professor Lewis Wolpert. He is a South African-born British developmental biologist, author and broadcaster. Professor Wolpert went to several universities and is well known and recognized by biologists. He has also published several popular science books.
In this rhetorical analysis I will be using the three-part heuristic analyzing technique which is logos, ethos and pathos. Logos is an appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason. Ethos is an appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader. And pathos is an appeal to emotion, which is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response.
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He says that we do not know the exact difference between science and technology, but that danger only appears when we apply science to technology; and that the real problem is in the combination or mixture of both. Furthermore, Professor Wolpert talks about genetics and cloning. He says that “there may be no genetic relation between a mother and a cloned child, but that is true of adoption and cases of IVF.”1 He suggests some guidelines to reduce ethical problems. All scientific ideas should be criticized by others; and that knowledge should be used to do good, not evil. The government and the media should act correctly and take the right decisions related to science and its
Pathos is the author's use of emotions and sympathy to urge the audience to agree with his or her standpoint. And lastly, logos apply sound reasoning (logic) to attract the typical ideas of the audience and to prove the author's point of view. "Lockdown" by Evans D. Hopkins is a fine example of an author using these appeals to persuade his audience. Hopkins uses of the three appeals are easy to locate and relate to throughout the entire passage. He undoubtedly uses rhetoric to try and keep his audiences focused and to persuade them to feel the way he does about the treatment of prisoners.
Edlund, John R. Ethos, Logos, Pathos: Three Ways to Persuade.” Cal Poly Pomona, n.d. Web. 6
Furthermore, a rhetorical analysis shows/exposes to the varying degrees, the success Mooney had with balancing the rhetorical strategies of logos, ethos and pathos.
Churchill effectively used rhetoric in his speech. Rhetoric is the art of effective persuasive writing and speaking. Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, created rhetoric. There are three types of rhetoric, logos, pathos, and ethos. Each type differs from the other types. Logos is a logical argument built from relevant and sufficient evidence. Logos is based on facts, statistics, and claims based off of logic. Pathos is arguments which evoke emotions in an audience. Some forms of pathos are celebrity testimonials, bandwagon, and fear mongering. All of these evoke emotions in an
Effectively communicating an idea or opinion requires several language techniques. In his study of rhetoric, Aristotle found that persuasion was established through three fundamental tools. One is logos, which is used to support an argument through hard data and statistics. Another is ethos, which is the credibility of an author or speaker that allows an audience to conclude from background information and language selection a sense of knowledge and expertise of the person presenting the argument. The impact of pathos, however, is the most effective tool in persuasion due to the link between emotions and decisions. Although each of these tools can be effective individually, a combination of rhetorical devices when used appropriately has the ability to sway an audience toward the writer’s point of view.
In this paper we will be discussing the rhetorical devices, logos, ethos, pathos, kairos, and
When asked how he feels about the advancement of science to places that were once notions to be the job of the creator, Dr. Martin Luther King replies by saying, “Cowardice asks is it safe? Expedience asks is it political? Vanity asks is it popular? But the conscience asks is it right?”
By appealing so much to pathos, his letter focuses more on emotionally convincing and persuading the reader to accept his claim, rather than providing facts and logic to his argument. His combined use of logos and ethos also adds an aspect of logic and reason to his argument, as well as further showing his credibility and connection to the subject as the author. His use of the three rhetorical devices helps to bolster and support his claim, while also personalizing and connecting with the
Science is not inherently evil and never will become evil. Though the knowledge gained from science can be used toward producing evil, intended or not, and can be dangerous. The story of Victor Frankenstein shows the irresponsibility possible in the advancement of science and furthers the caution which humanity must take when it attempts to master its environment or itself. The proponents of cloning humans today should remind themselves of the lesson which Victor Frankenstein before they have to deal with the products of their research and learn the hard way.
It is obvious that literacy contributes to success (logos), that the more fortunate should help people in necessity because it’s the right thing to do (ethos), and that emotion needs to be brought before the eyes in some occasions (pathos) so the audience can be persuaded. Furthermore, the reviewers needed to identify with the writers and everyone else that was a member of the rhetorical ecology. The author wrote this to help readers and writers understand some basic rhetorical principles as they continue to study rhetoric. This argument matters because most people tend to be confused on what rhetoric is and how it should be applied to writing. The author seems to agree with readers and writers on rhetoric being considered confusing but also disagrees with them by stating that rhetoric can be quite simple if elements are used appropriately. A term I came across was pisteis, which is pathos, ethos and logos, elements that can be used in persuasion. Another term I came across was pervasive: widespread of a thing throughout people or an
The author begins his argument by retelling the story of his youth to build his ethos but the results are poor as it presents more questions on how he is a credible source on this argument as his only evidence is his own story. However, through the same means his pathos is built as his anecdote conveys feelings in the audience, making them more willing to listen. Graff finally, gives a call to action to schools to use students’ interests to develop their skills in rhetoric and analysis, which reveals the logic behind his argument. The topic about how students are taught rhetoric and analysis brings interest but with an average argument only built on pathos, a low amount of logos, and questionable ethos it can fall on deaf
Aristotle believes that there are three important rhetoric devices used in the art of persuasion. These rhetoric appeals are most commonly known as pathos, ethos, and logos. Pathos is used for creating emotional appeals like anger or happiness to persuade the audience on a certain claim. Ethos, in arguments, creates a sense of trustworthiness between the author and audience to make an appeal credible. Logos uses strategies of logic like inductive and deductive reasoning to persuade viewers. In a 1995 Nike advertisement known as, “If you let me play,” pathos, logos, and ethos are rhetoric devices utilized to portray a better way of life for young girls that are involved in sports.
Lewis, Thomas. "The Hazards of Science." The Presence of Others. Eds. Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. 236-242.
Dr. Michael Shermer is a Professor, Founder of skeptic magazine, and a distinguished and brilliant American science writer to say the least. In His book The Moral Arc: How Science Makes Us Better People he sets out to embark on the daunting task of convincing and informing the reader on sciences’ ability to drives the expansion of humanity and the growth of the moral sphere. Although such a broad and general topic could be hard to explain, Shermer does so in a way that is concise, easy to understand, and refreshing for the reader. This novel is riddled with scientific facts, data, and pictures to back up shermers claims about the history of science, humanity and how the two interact with one another.
Rhetorical Analysis and Persuasion Every day we are victims to persuasion whether anyone can notice it or not. Logos, pathos and ethos are the types of persuasion. Logos persuades by reason, pathos by appealing to emotion and ethos by the credibility of the author. The characters in The Iliad employ the use of these techniques to sway another character into doing or feeling something else.